SASKATOON – Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper says Canada has established a legacy of disadvantage toward First Nations people, but he says that could be broken with the creation of a third level of government.
Harper, well known for blocking the Meech Lake Accord in 1990 and for being the first Treaty Indian elected as an MLA, addressed the Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Bar Association on Tuesday.
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He called the Indian Act a noose hanging around the neck of every aboriginal person, saying it serves only to restrict freedoms and control First Nations people from cradle to grave.
Harper proposed a solution – a third level of government to govern First Nations people, allow them to elect officials and create their own laws.
Harper said he looks forward to a day when aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people can have a healthy, mature dialogue.
(CJWW)
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